Lizzie
by Patricia de Lioncourt
Summary: Post PotC 2.  Lizzie sounded like such an innocence little nickname, but perhaps there was more to it than even Elizabeth thought.


A/N- My first PotC fic! Please, don't judge too harshly! I've been prolonging my writing a PotC fic because I was just at a loss as for storylines, and frankly, trying to keep the characters IC scared the crap out of me. Now, as for the timing of this little one shot, it's set right after PotC 2. Spoilers ahead! Well, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer- I don't own PotC. That belongs to Disney. Makin' no money here.

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**Lizzie**

Elizabeth Swann sat with her knees curled up under her chin and her arms wrapped around her legs. The survivors of the Kraken's attack on the _Pearl_ were gathered outside Tia Dalma's hut…all except for her. While they were busy planning for their quest to save Jack Sparrow with Barbossa, she had chosen to stay indoors. Sparrow's name and his list of "good deeds" was the last thing she wanted to hear at the moment.

Their hostess, Tia Dalma herself, descended the small staircase in the hut and made her way over to Elizabeth. She smiled at her, showing her teeth to be darker than her skin. With her wild hair and rotten smile, the ragged lady's ballgown looked misplaced on her. Elizabeth tried her best to smile back but found that the movement just wouldn't happen. Her dark deed…the murder of Jack Sparrow…seemed to have taken all positive emotion away from her. Dalma took the cup that she had given Elizabeth to drink from--in which Elizabeth had placed beside herself--and placed it on her carrying tray. She then stole a quick glance out the door, then back to Elizabeth.

"Shouldn't ya be out dere, wit da others? Plannin' for da rescue of Cap'n Jack?" she asked.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I shouldn't be. I don't belong out there."

"And for what reason would ya be sayin' dat, Miss Swann?"

She didn't answer, instead choosing to look through the door. She did not hold her gaze there for long, for only Will Turner's back could be clearly seen. Knowing the lies she had told to him…to all of them…and the things she had done, she couldn't bear to look at him. She was forced, then, to look back to Tia's smiling countenance.

"Hmmmmm…" the witch-woman said, turning slowly from Elizabeth. "Me sees it now."

"See what?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes widening.

Dalma looked casually over her shoulder, her smile still present. However, the look in her eye made Elizabeth shiver. She allowed her feet to fall to the floor and now crossed her arms in front of her.

"What?" she demanded further.

"Ya heart weighs heavy," she said.

"Of course it does," Elizabeth replied, a slight sigh of relief slipping out. She had feared for a moment that Dalma had figured her charade out. "Jack is dead."

Tia laughed a low, throaty laugh. "Me know dat, child. We all knows dat. But ya heart weighs heavier dan da rest. Dirty secrets and dark deeds can do dat, ya know…Lizzie."

Dumbstruck, Elizabeth could do nothing but stare open-mouthed at the witch-woman as she ascended the staircase once more. She was brought to her sense when Will's voice, saying her name, sounded beside her. She looked to him, started a bit to see him standing so close to her, and sighed.

"Will," she said, placing one hand on his arm. "Why aren't you out there with Barbossa and the rest?"

"Because we're finished. All the plans have been made. We're going to set sail as soon as we…commandeer a ship," he said.

"Alright," she said, turning slightly from him.

"I know this must be hard," Will said suddenly.

She turned back to him, her eyebrow arched. "What?"

"Jack's death…it must've been hard for you to let him go like that. I--I wish that it hadn't happened."

It appeared that those words caused him a great deal of pain…and made him very sad. Elizabeth looked off to the side, not wanting to look her love in the eye when she said her next lie.

"It _was_ very hard."

She turned her back to Will. After a few moments' silence, she could hear him turn and begin to walk away. However, a sudden realization hit her and spewed forth from her lips.

"He called me Lizzie…after we departed from Tortuga," she said.

Will's departing steps stopped, and Elizabeth heard the scuffle of his boots as he turned to look at her.

"He did?" he asked.

Elizabeth nodded, which must've looked simply like shaking hair to Will. "Yes."

Another moment of silence. Finally, Will let loose with a laugh that was almost choked.

"It's not a nickname that I would have picked for you, but you must like it."

Elizabeth turned, looking him in the eye. "Actually, I hate it. It's appalling."

Now Will's eyebrow arched. Unable to drum up a suitable reply to this odd statement, he said, "Alright."

After a few minutes of waiting for Elizabeth to reply--in which she never did--Will finally stepped back outside the cabin. Sighing, she turned away from the door and jumped when she came face-to-face with Tia Dalma.

"Ya undastand now?" she asked.

Elizabeth nodded. "I know why he called me Lizzie, as silly as a revelation as it may sound to be."

"And ya undastand that ya have lied to William again?"

"Yes. I understand."

Tia crossed her arms in front of her and revealed her black smile again. "Which will it be now, girl? Propa Elizabeth…or pirate Lizzie? Both are appealin' to ya, aren't dey? Both have dere advantages, do dey not?"

"That's true. With Elizabeth, I get to be with the man that I love. But with Lizzie, I get what I've always wanted…" Elizabeth said sadly, leaving her sentence unfinished.

"Adventure," Tia Dalma kindly finished for her. "Da choice is yours, girl. Always has been. Ya know da consequences of both. Me believes dat dis voyage will give ya what ye needs to make dis decision. Choose wisely."

Once again, the witch-woman disappeared up the staircase. Sighing and rubbing her head, Elizabeth sat down. Then, without reserve, she let her silent tears flow. There was so much at stake now.

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End Notes: Okay, so what did you think? Elizabeth isn't particularly one of my favorite characters, so she was really hard to write for. I hope I kept her in character. As for the statement she made about the name "Lizzie," this in no way reflects the author's feelings about this name. No offense was meant to anyone named Lizzie. Well, please review! 


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